Citizens Bank presents “Good Citizens” awards to Bill Marcello of Southwestern Community Services and Mary Ellen Jackson of the N.H. Center for Non-Profits

Manchetser, N.H. (March 31, 2009) - Citizens Bank recognized Bill Marcello, chief executive officer of Southwestern Community Services, and Mary Ellen Jackson, executive director of the New Hampshire Center for Non-Profits, with “Good Citizens” awards at the bank’s 13th annual community relations celebration held Tuesday at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord. The bank presented the “Good Citizens” Awards to Marcello and Jackson for their leadership, vision, and commitment to New Hampshire communities.

In her remarks to more than 100 community leaders who attended the reception, Cathy Schmidt, President of Citizens Bank, New Hampshire said, “Citizens Bank is delighted to host this celebration and awards ceremony each year to recognize and acknowledge all of the great work accomplished by so many New Hampshire community organizations. We are very proud to honor these two recipients and their organizations for their outstanding contribution to the state and their communities.”

Schmidt presented a “Good Citizens” award to Bill Marcello for his success in leading an organization that has been involved with developing more than 30 properties for office space, pre-schools, homeless shelters and multi-family and senior housing – resulting in nearly 300 units of affordable housing. The organization serves 17,000 people in nearly 40 communities and its direct assistance accounts for more than $30 million in economic impact. Marcello was also credited for providing expertise and resources within his organization for hundreds of families in need – during the floods in the southwest region 3½ years ago, and now again as families struggle due to the economic downturn.

Schmidt presented the “Good Citizens” honor to Mary Ellen Jackson for the enormous impact she and her organization have made in the nonprofit community. In the last four years, Jackson has grown the agency’s membership and reshaped its programs to better serve the needs of its clients. She has reenergized the non-profit sector and brought attention to the important role that nonprofits play in New Hampshire’s overall health and vitality. She actively provides leadership development, capacity building, and fundraising training. In January 2009, Jackson was recognized for her leadership and vision by Business NH Magazine, being named one of the “25 Leaders for the Future.”

“We are pleased to be able to recognize and salute the great work and commitment of these two leaders and their organizations,” said Kathleen Reardon, Senior Vice President and Director of Community Relations and Public Affairs for Citizens Bank. “We look forward to continuing to work together to address some of the most important issues facing the residents of New Hampshire.”

Concluded Schmidt, “We know that the success of our business is tied to the strength of our communities, and as we continue to grow as a company our commitment to our core values is as strong as ever. We will continue to reinvest in our communities, and focus our giving on some of the most critical issues facing the state including affordable housing, community economic development and innovative responses to basic human needs.”

About Citizens Bank

Citizens Bank is a division of RBS Citizens, N.A., operating its seven-state branch network in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. It has 78 branches and 155 ATMs in New Hampshire.

RBS Citizens, N.A. is a subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $160 billion commercial bank holding company headquartered in Providence, R.I. CFG’s two bank subsidiaries are RBS Citizens, N.A. and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. They operate a 13-state branch network under the Citizens Bank brand in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, and the Charter One brand in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. CFG has non-branch retail and commercial offices in about 40 states. It is one of the 10 largest commercial banking companies in the United States ranked by assets and deposits as of September 30, 2008. CFG is owned by RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc).